Floatable hose



July 13, 1965 A. A. B. GRIFFITHs ETAL 3,194,274

FLOATABLE HOSE Filed May 14, lees /m ,MM www, www

3,194,274 FLOATABLI; Hosn Arthur Archer Brian jGrifitlls, Firfwood, Manchester,

This invention relates to floatable hose and especially to hose lor the off-shore loading and discharge of oil.

A mooring buoy may bersecurely anchored in deep water and connected toa lshore storage installation by a submarine pipeline and hose which is connected at the mooring buoy to buoyed hose for connection to manifolds amidships of an oil tankermoored at its bow to the mooring buoy.

An object of the invention is to provide floatable hose instead of relying on lattached metal drums, which are cor-rodable .and liable t-o damage and detachment, for buoying the hose connected at the mooring buoy.

According to the invention a floatable hose comprises a layer of flexible cellular material having an impervious covering and separated by impervious material into separate gas-containing compartments.

The invention includes a method of making fioatable hose which comprises wrapping flexible cellular material around a hose bore construction and applying impervious material to form a cellular layer having separate gascontaining compartments, and applying an impervious covering.

The flexible .cellular material usually has a closed cell formation .and may be of an cil resistant synthetic rubber such as neoprene.

The cellular layer is preferably applied as a number of sections between impervious collars spaced longitudinally and extending around an inner hose bore const-ruction and is usually applied in the form of two or more sub-layer wrapping-s separated by an impervious layer for example of rubber coated fabric which, together with the collars, separates the Cellular wrapping into compartments longitudinally and radially of the hose.

The collars may be built up piece by piece, second annular pieces being added after the first cellular wrapping has been applied between first annular .collar pieces.

The inner hose 4bore construction may be a conventional oil resistant hose fitted at each end with a coupling spigot and additional cellular wrapping may be provided at the end sections to provide additional buoyancy. The overall specific gravity of the hose should not be greater than un-ity .so that the hose will float when filled with sea water.

The outer cellular wrapping is provided with an impervious protective covering, usually a flexible oil resistant material such as synthetic rubber or polyvinyl chloride, reinforced with a breaker fabric, and a cord winding may be incorporated.

One or more layers of a composition one of which includes a blowing agent such as dinitrosopentamethylenetetramine, may be provided beneath `and next to the impervious covering. The pressure exerted by the expanding composition is of asssitance during vulcanizing an outer covering of vulcanizable rub-ber composition.

Usually the components employed in building up the flexible cellular layer, including the inner hose bore construction, are prevulcanized or set and rubber solution is applied t-o secure the components together, these being consolidated by pressure after eac-h cellular wrapping has been applied. The outer covering and its reinforcement may be vulcanized by steam.

The bore diameter of hose required f-or loading or dis- United States Patent O "Ice charging oil from an oil tanker is generally from l0 to 16 inches and smaller hose, having a diameter of from 6 to 8 inches is employed for bunkering. A cellular layer some 2 inches in thickness, increased to 3 inches at the end of a section of hose adjacent the coupling by an additional wrapping, is usually suiiicient to secure adequate buoyancy when steel couplings are used. Wit-h lighter types of coupling such as glass fibre, aluminum alloy etc. the additional wrapping may have less thickness.

The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a longitudinal section along one end of the covering layers of the iioatable hose according to the invention, the various wrappings being shown in spaced apart relation for clarity.

A conventional oil resistant hose l, made by .assembling plies of synthetic rubber, fabric, `and wire upon a mandrel, wrapping with cloth, curing on a steam vulcanizer and inserting a coupling spigot 2 at each end of the hose, was coated with synthetic rubber solution.

Collar pieces 3 were provided at intervals of 3 feet along the hose by winding strips of rubberized weftless cord fabric approximately 2 inches wide to a depth of 1 inch, the first and second annular collars at each end of the hose being built up to a depth of 1.5 inches.

vulcanized closed cell neoprene sponge 4 of a density of about l2 pounds per cubic foot, having a thickness of 0.5 inch, a width equal to the space between each collar piece 3 and a length equal to the circumference of the inner hose construction was Wrapped round between each colla-r piece. The exposed surface of the rst cellular wrapping Li was coated with a synthetic rubber solution and a second layer 5 of the neoprene sponge was applied between the collar pieces, further coating and wrapping being carried out between the collar pieces at each end of the hose, which was then wrapped tightly with dry cloth binders in order to consolidate the wraopings.

The binders were then removed and t-he exposed surface coated with synthetic rubber solution.

Vulcanized synthetic rubber coated nylon fabric 6, bias cut at 45 and then joined to form a continuous sheet of biassed fabric, was then wrapped around the assembly.

The surface of the rubber coated fabric was coated with synthetic rubber solution and a further outer set of collar pieces '.7 was applied, in the same manner as before and immediately above the inner annular collar piece 3. The spaces between the further collar pieces were filled with vulcanized closed cell neoprene sponge wrappings 3 as previously described.

'I'lie `surface of the outer cellular wrapping layer was then coated with synthetic rubber solution and the following vulcanizable oil resistant synthetic rubber composition 9 incorpora-ting a blowing agent was applied to a thickness of 0.09 inches.

Parts by weight Neoprene GNA 34 Zinc oxide 2 Magnesia 1 Stearic acid 0.5 Antioxidant: Nonox D 0.5 REF. black 5 M.T. black 32 Resin 3 Mineral oil 9.5 Factice 10.5 Blowing agent: dinitrosopentamethylene tetramine available as Vulcacel BN 2 The :assembly was then wrapped with dry cloth binders in order to consolidate the coated wrappings. After half an hour thevbinder-s were removed prenercontipositionV 10 Wasthen `applied overthe blovvable composition to atbickness` of 0.06 inch. 'jghesubsequent insitu `expansion offthe layer of composition@ assisted* incompressing the outer Ylayer 10 during its subsequent vnlcanization.-V

l `and the `exposed `sur-` face f-reshened with toluol. A 'layer of unvuicanized'neof A cotton breaker fabric 11V having a weight l.ort" 25 ounces per square`yard-was spread onrone side with unvuloanized neoprene composition topped to a thickness of 0.01,in l1` with thercomposition, on the other side `and appiiedrover: the hoseWith the topped surface uppermost. A further.Vv

layer of unvulcanized neoprene composition 12 was then 'applied Vto @thickness of,0.06 inch. Y

. A core spunV polyethylene terephthalate/cotton cord 13 Was then,Wrapped.'nelically over the yassembly `at a pitch 'of 0.05 inch yand embedded in the underlyingcomposition A further layer 14 of thefabove cotton breaker fabric l was then .applied with thetopped surface against the cord `and coveredvvith a ylayer of unvulcanized neoprene con1.

position 15 having a thickness of'0.l4.in'oh.V

The layers .were then consolfdated by Wrapping wit-li lycut yironia 0.1 9 inch .thiclsneet of unvuicanized neo- Vprene composition.

The hose assemblywas thenwrapped with `wet'l-iner curing spurls and transferred -to a steam vulcanizer. T heA A.str .ampressure rose toV 40 poundshper square inch in half an .hour and was maintained at'th'is pressure -for a further hour. rllhe 'hose wasV removedV from the vulc-anizer; Vfthe;,completed hosehad an internalV diameter of,6 .inches 'dry clothbinders, aft-er removal `of which eachgyend of lthe f f hose assembly was .trimmed yancor/ered with an annulus and Was30ifeetf1ong-1 The outer diameter, between the. Y

thickened end sections, was l2`inches and the total weight 'Was 975 pounds, corresponding to a specific gravity of 0.6.

Having described our Vinvention what we claim is:v

it'.V Floatable hose comprising-an inner hose bore'con-V struction, a layer. of flexible cellularoil `resistant sythetc rubber material surrounding said inner. hose bore,v separate gaewtfingtcompartmets. rif! theflfayndeaned byy @ima perviousoollars spaced. longitudinally along-and extend-y g ingyaround `said inner'hse Tbore,., Thefeollar b eingsepa-- ratedby. sections of said iexible .cellular material, andan imperviousveovering'. secured overgsaid layer;

'72.. Floatable :hose oomprisingan inner hoseb-orefconf. struction, la layer of flexible; cellularoil resist-antfsyiitlietic lrubber y'material' 'surrounding .'said, hose bore,V said layer having sub-layers vconstituting iradially; separated "gasi containing compartments defined by. .annular rimpervious flexible?'materialV positioned between .sadfsubelayengand 'Y and extending around the innenhosejb`re,eaeh collar 1 impervious. flexible materia'Lrsfaid; collars ibeingisepaa-ted bysections ofvsaidiiexible cellular material-,gandanimf perviouscovering'securedovensaid layer;V

comprising twoannuiiradiallyjsepara-tedbyrsdannular 

1. FLOATABLE HOSE COMPRISING AN INNER HOSE BORE CONSTRUCTION, A LAYER OF FLEXIBLE CELLULAR OIL RESISTANT SYTHETIC RUBBER MATERAL SURROUNDING SAID INNER HOSE BORE, SEPARATE GAS-CONTAINING COMPARTMENTS IN THE LAYER DEFINED BY IMPERVIOUS COLLARS SPACED LONGITUDINALLY ALONG AND EXTENDING AROUND SAID INNER HOSE BORE., THE COLLAR BEING SEPARATED BY SECTIONS OF SAID FLEXIBLE CELLULAR MATERIAL, AND AN IMPERVIOUS COVERING SECURED OVER SAID LAYER. 